How to Care for a Purple Hopseed Bush

Any plant boasting its own moisture-sealing, resinous leaf covering is more than capable of weathering heat and drought. Bronze-leaved purple hopseed bush (Dodonaea viscosa “Purpurea”) also tolerates poor soils, wind and salt spray. It's a natural choice for western landscapes in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. The glossy-leaved shrub pairs papery, maroon seedpods with reddish-purple autumn foliage. With proper care, purple hopseed bush excels as an evergreen hedge, privacy screen, specimen plant or small tree.

1

Water a newly planted purple hopseed bush twice a week for three weeks before cutting back to three or four times a month over the next year. Once its roots are well established, the shrub manages with twice-monthly irrigation in the heat of summer. In winter, a single watering each month is adequate. The only wrong ways to water a purple hopseed bush are to keep it chronically wet, or to wet only the soil's surface. Shallow watering, like poor drainage, results in chlorosis.

3

Check the undersides of the shrub's leaves regularly for black scale insects. Less than 1/4 inch long, these mound-shaped pests feed on leaf fluids. Heavy infestations may cause yellowing, wilting or prematurely falling leaves. Prune twigs with light scale infestations. Control large populations with a spray of petroleum-based horticultural oil applied according to the manufacturer's specifications.

4

Cut back the young shrub's terminal shoots before they form stems to encourage bushy, dense growth. These buds are responsible for branch length; without them, the plant puts its energy into growing side branches. For a taller bush, nip back the lateral shoots on the branches' sides so the plant's energy goes into producing longer limbs. Always cut at a 45-degree angle, with the lower edges of the cuts level with growth buds. Stubs left above the buds eventually die, exposing the healthy wood to decay.

5

Shear a formal hedge of purple hopseed bush to maintain its shape during the growing season. A hedge’s natural density means you can clip its surface without looking for terminal or lateral growing points; each cut will be near one. Shear so that the top of the hedge is narrower than its base, allowing light to reach the lower branches.

6

Cut back an informal purple hopseed hedge or specimen plant by pruning its wayward limbs back to side branches or buds that point in the direction you want the new growth to take. If you have no preference, make the cuts so the new branches won't grow toward existing ones. Cutting back controls size and emphasizes the shrub's natural teardrop shape.

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